He's cheered for the Rebels and visited family members who have attended school there. And in February 2011, Patrick is hoping to add one more piece - a major piece - to his Ole Miss affiliation.

Ole Miss is currently courting the Philadelphia, Miss., wide receiver, having issued Patrick an invite to the Rebels first junior day of 2010 two Saturdays ago. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder graciously attended and was very pleased with the experience.

"I have a great time every time I'm on campus," Patrick said. "I got a chance to talk to coach (Houston) Nutt and coach (Ron) Dickerson and also my recruiter, coach (Derrick) Nix. They want me to just keep working hard. They love my size and my speed, but I need to block more and improve my game away from the ball."

The junior day was the most access Patrick has had to the Ole Miss coaching staff, but he's been on campus several times before that, most notably Ole Miss' dramatic victory over LSU in November.

That atmosphere and excitement sent Patrick to another level in regards to Ole Miss.

"Oh my goodness, it was just outrageous," Patrick said. "It just catches your attention, how everybody supports that school. They've got pride. It was amazing. You know it's cool with how everybody was liking it.

Patrick isn't making a junior day trip this weekend. Instead, he's heading to Mobile, Ala., for the Nike combine. He's hoping to show well in the 40-yard dash, an event he's been clocked as fast as 4.42 seconds in recently. He's hoping to add 10-15 pounds this offseason while adding strength and keeping his speed.

Besides Ole Miss, Patrick is receiving considerable interest from fellow in-state schools Mississippi State and Southern Miss, along with Louisville. However, it could be tough for other colleges to make up ground as long as the Rebels are interested.

"I'm just stuck on Ole Miss right now, and that's where my interest is," Patrick said. "I'm going to continue to concentrate on the Rebels. I like it fine at State, but Ole Miss is where I fit in. I feel like I'm just like them."